I am a priest-theologian.

Whilst it is my own particular view that all priests should be theologians; that is to say those who make sense of the words, works and ways of the divine to the world; I am aware that this is not always the case. We could go even further and remind ourselves of the old Orthodox dictum; ‘a theologian is a person who prays; and a person who prays is a theologian’.

Theology is often best done in the midst of people rather than in the study; although at the same time there is no substitute for not having spent time conversing with the biblical writers, the Fathers, the Reformers etc. Theological thought that is disjointed from such traditions will be at best shallow and at worst something that masquerades as theology, but is not. For me it is one of the great sadnesses of the current state of the Church in the west, and the UK is my context, is that academic theological rigour is not taken seriously enough. It is interesting that it is in some of the charismatic networks, like New Wine, that theology and praxis are taken with great seriousness.

I am watchful about the future…. but hope to be at the vanguard of making a difference.